Is happiness the underpinning of optimism or is optimism an underpinning of happiness? It doesn’t matter - we know happier people tend to be more optimistic. And we know, optimistic people tend to be happier.

Just smile. Smile at other people. Smile at yourself in the mirror. If necessary, fake it till you make it.

Never underestimate the power of a smile. We know that smiling stimulates brain patterns which reinforce feelings of happiness and optimism.

As Dr David Topor wrote, “A psychotherapy technique to cope with sad feelings is to practice smiling for a few minutes each day. If a full smile is not possible, a half-smile works as well. Notice any impact on your thoughts, mood, and level of optimism.”

As powerfully, Ros Ben-Moshe, author of “Laughing at Cancer - How to Heal with Love, Laughter and Mindfulness" told me, “Optimism can be found in a heartfelt smile that spreads from one face to another."

“What makes me optimistic is my inherent belief in the goodness of people. I know there is a lot of bad stuff around us, but it only takes one act of kindness or a simple smile to reassure me that everything is going to be all right.”

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